Bodhicitta

In Buddhism, bodhicitta (Ch. 菩提心, pudixin, Jp. bodaishin) is the wish to attain complete enlightenment (that is, Buddhahood) in order to be of benefit to all sentient beings -- beings who are trapped in cyclic existence (samsāra) and have not yet reached Buddhahood. One who has bodhicitta as the primary motivation for all of their activities is called a bodhisattva.

Bodhicitta in the Tibetan traditions is often divided into:

• Relative Bodhicitta, in which the practitioner works to free all beings from bondage and suffering.
• Absolute, or ultimate, Bodhicitta, which refers to the wisdom of shunyata (a term often translated, misleadingly, as 'emptiness'). 'Shunyata' is a positive, rather than a negative, concept in Buddhist thought, and refers, loosely, to freedom from attachments and fixed ideas about the world and how it should be.

Some bodhicitta practices emphasize the absolute (e.g. vipassana); others emphasize the relative (e.g. metta), but both aspects are essential in any practice. The Relative without the Absolute degenerates into pity, sentimentality and caretaking: the Absolute without the Relative can become a nihilistic excuse to tune out one's experience rather then fully engaging in and committing to it. The creative tension between the relative and absolute aspects of Bodhicitta is an important part of many Mahayana practices, including in particular the Tibetan Mind Training practices of tonglen and lojong.

Etymologically, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit words bodhi and citta. Bodhi means 'awakening', or 'enlightenment'. Citta may be translated as 'mind' or 'spirit'. Bodhicitta can therefore be translated as 'mind of enlightenment' or 'spirit of awakening'.

Significance

The emphasis on bodhicitta as the primary positive factor to be cultivated is what distinguishes Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna (or tantric) Buddhism from other Buddhist schools. In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, the goal of Buddhist practice is primarily for an individual to escape from samsāra with the aspiration to be reborn infinite numbers of times to liberate all those other beings still trapped in samsāra.

While the teaching and terminology of bodhichitta is most developed in Mahayana Buddhism, its practice and realization are independent of sectarian considerations since they are simply part of being human. There are of course bodhisattvas not only in the Theravāda school., but in all other religious traditions and among those of no formal religious tradition. Buddhism has no monopoly either on compassion or on the realization of the fundamentally illusory nature of our view of the world. A traditional Buddhist teaching on Bodhicitta is that many of its most advanced practitioners neither teach nor announce themselves in any way at all, but live apparently everyday lives and do good by stealth. It is regarded as a very healthy contemplation to hold the view that all other beings may actually be hidden bodhisattvas, including those we do not like.

According to the Theravāda school, only a select few are able to attain Buddhahood (or complete enlightenment). Followers of the Mahāyāna, on the other hand, believe that the attainment of Buddhahood is not only possible by all sentient beings, but inevitable. Since we are all karmically connected we are all in the same boat, and either we will all attain liberation or we will all drown in the ocean of samsāra. The Mahāyāna teaches that even those who have initially chosen personal liberation from samsāra will be awakened eventually by Buddhas and entreated to develop bodhicitta and become fully enlightened in order to help liberate all sentient beings.

Mahayana Buddhism teaches that the broader motivation of achieving one's own enlightenment in order to help all sentient beings, bodhicitta, is the best possible motivation one can have for any action, whether it be working in one's vocation, teaching others, or even making an incense offering. The Six Perfections (Pāramitās) of Buddhism only become true "perfections" when they are done with the motivation of bodhicitta. Thus, the action of giving (Skt. dāna) can be done in a mundane sense, or it can be a Pāramitā if it is conjoined with bodhicitta.

Cultivation

The seeds of both Absolute and Relative bodhicitta often arise spontaneously - for example, when seeing someone close to us who is suffering, or in the face of a major unexpected event that upsets our world view. Unfortunately they can also vanish again just as quickly, which is why many Buddhist traditions, and in particular the Mahāyāna, provide specific methods for the intentional cultivation of both Absolute and Relative bodhicitta. This cultivation is considered to be one of the most difficult aspects of the path to complete enlightenment. Any teaching or activity cannot be held to be a genuine Mahāyāna activity unless it is conjoined with at least a contrived bodhicitta. Practitioners of the Mahāyāna make it their primary goal to go beyond contrived forms of bodhicitta and to develop a genuine, uncontrived bodhicitta which remains within their mindstreams continuously without having to rely on conscious effort.

Among the many methods for developing uncontrived Bodhicitta given in Tibetan Mahāyāna teachings are (1) the Seven Fold Cause-and-Effect method and (2) Exchanging Self with Others (tonglen).

References

• White, Kenneth R. 2005. The Role of Bodhicitta in Buddhist Enlightenment. New York : The Edwin Mellen Press. [includes translations of the following: Bodhicitta-sastra, Benkemmitsu-nikyoron, Sammaya-kaijo]
• Lampert, K.(2005); Traditions of Compassion: From Religious Duty to Social Activism. Palgrave-Macmillan
• Steps on the Path to Enlightenment. Vol. 1. Geshe Lhundub Sopa w/ David Pratt. 2004
• An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics. Peter Harvey. 2000
• Entering the Path of Enlightenment: The Bodhicaryavatara of the Buddhist Poet Santideva. (Translation) Marion L. Matics. 1970
• The World of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama. 1995
• Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. John Powers. 1995
• A Guide to the Buddhist Path. Sangharakshita. 1990

External links

• Compassion and Bodhicitta
• Bodhicitta.net
• The Bodhisattva in Buddhism by Walpola Rahula Thera - German language